Aces of Herts

The new season's fashion statement for goalkeepers. See below.

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 2 September 2017 at Green Lane
Result	Bovingdon 4 Ware Sports 1
Competition	Hertfordshire Senior League Premier Division (Step 7)
Hopstats	Ground 614 on the lifetime list. I have to stay local today and this is the undoubted game of the day in my home county league.
Context
First plays second. Someone’s 100% league record will have to go.  Both sides have won all four games so far, but Bovingdon have a much better goal difference.
In one sentence
Bovingdon sprung the Ware Sports’ offside trap in the second half but were made to work harder than the scoreline suggests.
So what?
Bovingdon lead the division by two points and Ware Sports drop to fourth.  Belstone also have a 100% win record but from one game fewer.
Match Report
On one of the best playing surfaces I have ever seen at this level, Bovingdon took an early lead. Andrew Ofosu burst through with pace from the right and accelerated across the opposing keeper to score with a left-footed shot.  Ware Sports equalised rather against the run of play from the penalty spot just a few minutes later.  The game settled into a classic home-away pattern with Bovingdon having massively superior possession but Ware Sports looking dangerous on the break.  Ofosu was a continuous nuisance to the visitors, but Sports had a great chance just before the interval.  It needed a great block by the home keeper to hold the scores level. Bovingdon asserted themselves right after the break.  Their right-back broke the offside line with a run from deep, skated past the goalkeeper and smacked the ball into an empty net.  Within ten minutes they had a two-goal cushion with a straightforward goal, with Ofosu also having hit the post in the meantime.  One more goal was disallowed for handball. A goal for Ware at this point could have made things tense, but Bovingdon defended well enough.  After 82 minutes I saw my first soccer sin-binning.  The Herts County League is one of the pilot project participants.  I can’t express a meaningful opinion really – on this occasion there was no impact on the result.  Bovingdon added a late fourth to enhance their goal difference further, shortly after a penalty shout had been controversially denied.  They look a well-drilled and physically fit side who are equipped to make good use of their excellent home surface.  They have made an early statement that they can win the division this year.  Ware Sports won't be far behind.
Ground Pix
There are two adjacent pitches, completer-finishers please note! Bovingdon A team were drawing 0-0 on the other one.  Nice ground in the sunshine with a decent clubhouse and bar.
Match Pix
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Pink beats something that I am arbitrarily sticking with Orange, having thought about Trump and Fresh Volcanic Lava as alternatives.  Anybody wearing THAT with pink boots deserves to let in four if you ask me.  The stats are now based on 400 goals conceded in 113 games. Results so far: Based on conventional 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, but also -1pt for a goal conceded (GC) and +5pts for a clean sheet (CS).  Colours ranked on a points per game (PPG) basis. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 8.0 4.0 0.0 4.0 8.0 3.0 19.0 2.38 Blue 28.1 11.0 5.0 12.1 44.0 10.0 44.0 1.57 Maroon 4.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.50 Grey 40.5 20.0 8.0 12.5 66.5 11.0 56.5 1.40 Green 55.0 26.0 7.0 22.0 95.0 15.0 65.0 1.18 Orange 23.5 8.0 4.0 11.5 38.5 5.0 14.5 0.62 Yellow 24.0 7.0 6.0 11.0 46.0 5.0 6.0 0.25 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.18 Pink 13.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 27.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.46 Radioactive Bile 12.0 5.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.50 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.60 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.11
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!

Sunken Poole with Rocks on Top

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 12 August 2017 at The Black Gold Stadium
Result	Poole Town 2 East Thurrock United 3
Competition	National League South (Step 2)
Hopstats	613 on the lifetime list, re-completing National League South and leaving me with AFC Fylde’s new ground to restore the 116 and then Spennymoor Town to restore the 160.
Context
Both teams have started the league season reasonably well with a home draw and an away win.
In one sentence
Two goals from Montel Agyemang swung the game in the visitors’ favour and they defended their lead well for over half an hour.
If only…
... Poole had taken the chance that came their way just after their second goal.  Strong hands by ETU keeper Lukas Lidakevicius kept Shaun Cooper’s shot out.
So what?
Poole and ETU are 11th and 5th respectively in the early league table.
Match Report
The keepers made one decent save each in the first fifteen minutes, with Poole having more possession.  However, the next fifteen belonged to East Thurrock as they forced three chances in quick succession and I noted that they should really have taken the lead.  Poole then opened the scoring.  At the end of a good run from half-way, Abdulai Baggie held the ball up and laid it into the path of Steve Devlin who was steaming in untracked from midfield.  He scored with a great shot to the bottom right corner. The lead lasted ten minutes at most and there was a touch of good fortune about the equaliser.  I suspect that fullback Reece Harris was as surprised as anyone when his curling cross nestled in the far corner of the net.  Agyemang then got his first, cutting in from the right wing and curling a left-footer into that same corner to give East Thurrock the lead at the interval. Agyemang's first goal to give ETU the half-time lead Poole equalised immediately after the restart.  A well-worked move down the right eventually gave Baggie the chance to place the ball wide of Lidakevicius.  Game on, and the “if only” moment (see above) soon followed. The winning goal came as early as the 54th minute, another Agyemang finish from distance, this time with his right foot.  East Thurrock then defended well and Lidakevicius was not too busy.  Some home fans in the hog roast corner entertained us with some top quality moaning, especially when Harris committed two almost identical fouls on the edge of the box, and only got booked for the first.  Home captain Jamie Whisken went from centre back to up front for the last few minutes – he sent a header wide in the closing moments, but that was as close as Poole got.  Not their day, and a good win on the road for the Essex side. Poole Town 2     Devlin 31, Baggie 46 East Thurrock United 3     Harris 40, Agyemang 44, 54
Ground Pix
It’s easy to see why some Poole supporters have been hoping for a ground upgrade or even a new home.  They were denied a place in last season’s divisional playoffs due to ground requirements.  This is a really pleasant and well-kept ground that looks loved and cared-for, but unless something changes then it appears that the club are playing at their highest allowable level.
Match Pix
Pre-Match Entertainment
The original plan to spend a couple of hours in Poole was thwarted by the holiday traffic on the M25 & M3, but there was just enough time for a brief wander along the quay.  I remember Poole's large natural harbour from my 1973 Geography O-level.  This piece of ocean-going kit was one of many on show.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Purple loses to grey (ignoring the orange stripe on the latter) and drops below yellow.  Full table will be published once a month or so.
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!